Tymoshenko’s imprisonment, along with concerns over violent racism in Ukraine, have provoked calls by some European officials and intellectuals to consider boycotting the games, which will be co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland starting next week.

Keeping with soccer. In Bulgaria, Grisha Ganchev, a wealthy businessman and owner of the soccer club Litex Lovech, was charged Tuesday with running an organized crime group that orchestrated tax evasion amounting to over US$125,000 and threatening to kill the Director of the National Revenue Agency, Krasimir Stefanov.

Ganchev has denied the charges, calling them a plot against him.

The Chicago Tribune stated that the crackdown on organized crime is part of Bulgaria’s bid to join the EU’s passport-free travel Schengen zone.

Russian Ire

In Russia, government officials warned that they would retaliate if the US Congress passes the “Magnitsky Bill,” a law that would deny U.S. visas to Russian officials with ties to human rights abuses and freeze their assets. Italy is considering similar legislation.

Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer imprisoned after accusing officials of tax fraud, only to have the charges of tax evasion leveled back at him. He died in jail in 2009 under dubious circumstances.

Al Jazeera has produced a video on Tajikistan’s efforts to stifle drug traffickers and the booming heroin trade, including the use of cute dogs that detect narcotics in cars and trucks en route to European markets.

Finally, coming as no surprise, an Ernst and Young Global Fraud Survey that analyzed fraud, bribery and corruption around the world, pointed to Eastern Europe as a problematic region to do business.

As Romania Business Insider drew attention to, “Only 14% of respondents think that national regulators were willing and effective in securing convictions. Of those who think the authorities were not willing to prosecute, 48% feel that this is due to bribery and corruption being too widespread.”

And that’s within the European Union. In its eastern neighborhood, corruption, and perceptions of it, continue damaging foreign direct investment as well as home grown businesses.